NEXT WEEK: Carolina – hosts New England next Monday at 8:40 p.m., San Francisco – visits New Orleans next Sunday at 4:25 p.m.

THE SERIES: Carolina leads 10-7, including 23-20 victory in their last meeting in 2010 that increased its winning streak to three in the series. The teams split their 14 meetings as members of the NFC West from 1995 to 2001 and the Panthers are 5-3 all-time at Candlestick Park, which is hosting 49ers football for the last time this season.

BY THE NUMBERS: 13.3 – Panthers defensive scoring average, which ranks second in the NFL behind only Kansas City’s 12.3 defensive scoring average.

MATCHUP TO WATCH: The Panthers rush defense against the 49ers rush offense. The Panthers are second in the league by limiting opponents to 79.1 yards per game while the 49ers are first in the league by averaging 153.0 yards per game.

NOTABLE: Since Week 3 – or after Panthers coach Ron Rivera was criticized for failing to go for fourth-and-short plays in a loss at Buffalo – the Panthers have faced fourth-and-one six times. Not only have the Panthers gone for the first down each time, they’ve been successful five times and three of the conversions were for touchdowns….

49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, who played for the Panthers in 2001, is one of only eight NFL coaches to win division titles in their first two seasons. The others are the Rams’ Chuck Knox (1973-77 division titles), the Colts’ Ted Marchibroda (1977-78), the Broncos’ Red Miller (1977-78), the 49ers’ George Seifert (1989-90), the Cowboys’ Barry Switzer (1994-96), the Steelers’ Mike Tomlin (2007-08) and the Colts’ Jim Caldwell (2009-10)….

Rivera and Harbaugh are former Bears’ teammates and have been close enough over the years that Rivera knows Harbaugh’s brother and father as well….

Four Panthers’ staffers have 49ers’ connections – assistant offensive line coach Ray Brown played for the 49ers from 1996 to 2001, assistant special teams coach Bruce DeHaven coached for the 49ers from 2000 to 2002, quarterbacks coach Ken Dorsey played for the 49ers from 2003 to 2005 and tight ends coach Pete Hoerner coached for the 49ers from 2005 to 2010….

Panthers running backs coach Jim Skipper grew up in Brawley, Cal., coached at Cal Poly-Pomona (1974-76), San Jose State (1977-78) and the University of the Pacific (1979) and was head coach of the XFL’s San Francisco Demons in 2001….

Six 49ers staffers have local ties – defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was a graduate assistant at North Carolina in 1983 and was Panthers defensive coordinator from 1995 to 1998, special teams coach Brad Seely was on the Panthers coaching staff from 1995 to 1998, offensive coordinator Greg Roman was on the Panthers coaching staff from 1995 to 2001, offensive assistant Ronald Curry played football and basketball at North Carolina and began his coaching career at Mooresville Christian Academy as athletic director and head football coach and defensive line coach Jim Tomsula played at Catawba and was an assistant at Charleston Southern from 1992 to 1995….

And two injured 49ers have local ties – cornerback Chris Culliver is from Garner and played at South Carolina and running back Marcus Lattimore is from Duncan, S.C. and played at South Carolina.

PREDICTION: San Francisco 21, Carolina 20. A defensive struggle ends Panthers’ winning streak, as Colin Kaepernick makes a few more plays than Cam Newton in a matchup of talented, young and athletic quarterbacks.